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Re: Air Gear: Hangout
Changing the subject...
I was rocking out with Back-On (I wish) and I began to reflect on the Air Gear universe. Before haters try and test know that I am a huge Air Gear fan and I've been Air Trecking (lol) sense this thing first came to America. Because I'm a loyal fan that gives me certain privileges. I've been with the manga since the beginning and what drew me in apart from the art and Babyface was the theme of Air Gear: freedom. Absolute freedom.
So many manga deal with the same tired BS about friendship, bonds, and all that other stuff (believe it). Yeah those are good but when you've got titles like Naruto and Bleach running around it becomes cliche (believe it). Air Gear wasn't about that. We had the Unbeatable Babyface Minami Itsuki and while it's clear he needed help, he didn't shove the power of friendship down our throats. Why? Air Gear wasn't about that. Air Gear isn't about that. Air Gear was about freedom.
Air Gear is a manga that came along and showed us that we are all in our own cages. Maybe that cage is psychological, maybe it's emotional, maybe it's economical. Whatever it was we were/are all trapped in our cages. Many of us are birds who can't fly. Many have forgotten they even have wings. While other titles brainwashed their readers into believing that their friends are just going to open the door for them, Air Gear kept it as real as a manga could. No one can open the cage but you. No one can break the chain but you. Why? Because a bird can only fly using the power of their own wings and no one else's. And yes I'm fully aware that geese fly by using the lift of other geese when they're in formation.
However, they still need their own wings to do that. Your friends can't flap your wings. Only you can.
Air Gear reminded us that sometimes only we can help ourselves and it showed us that we can all do that. Delinquents, drop-outs, geniuses, average people, everyone has wings and everyone has the power to break out of their cages. That was the theme of Air Gear and Babyface proved that to us everytime he put someome's ass down. True to Trophaeum, Ikki built his victories upon the bones of his enemies and got closer and closer to the sky each time. But somewhere along the way Air Gear lost that focus.
Air Gear used to be my number one manga and now it's barely in my top five. I still like it and I'm not dissing it. Rather, somewhere along the way Air Gear didn't become a priority read. It happened gradually and I was forced to ask myself why. Recent developments in Air Gear have been battle after battle after battle after battle. And that's all well and good but where is the substance? To be honest I like Agito/Lind/Akito whatever, and while it is important for us to get his/their backstory that was really ridiculous. Guy gets like ten chapters and color me prejudice but I would much rather that kind of attention be showered on my main man Ikki. Of course that's just me being finicky.
From a purely objective standpoint, it's good that we finally got some character development for Agito/Akito/Lind. However, these flashbacks added onto the massive amounts of battles we've seen in the last twenty or so chapters have actually chained Air Gear. We're stuck on the ground, we're stuck in these grudge matches, the characters themselves are actually chained to their respective pasts. The characters are actually prisoners. Wasn't Air Gear supposed to be the exact opposite of that?
Didn't Air Gear teach us that it didn't matter if they were mistakes, crimes, defects, short-comings, weakness, no matter what or who tried to stopped us they couldn't. Nothing could chain us down, nothing could bind our wings, nothing could cage us. This message was exemplified through the characters. Now the characters themselves are in chains, cages, prisons. I'll explain.
Early Air Gear Ikki was interested in AT because he wanted to fly as all men wish to do. He wanted freedom. He wanted to feel that type of freedom that only the soul knows but is unable to grasp in the flesh. Ikki wanted, needed, was driven to fly. While he got into fights his ultimate goal in AT was to fly. Current Ikki is just interested in whooping someone's ass. Sure the twins deserve it. Hell, anyone who steps to the Unbeatable Babyface has it coming so I've no problems with Ikki doing what he does best. However, flying has always been primary while fighting was secondary. Ikki only aimed to fly and sometimes fighting was the only way he could fly higher.
Currently however, it seems Ikki's only goal is whooping that ass! And while we all love him for that, that sort of thing shouldn't be his primary objective. Getting tied down by ego, revenge, even duty is all contrary to the freedom that Ikki once sought. Yes I'm aware that those with power have a duty to use that power for the greatest good. However, Air Gear's theme was freedom that transcends all. What happened to that freedom? With these newest developments, I feel that Ikki may as well start carrying around a tacky sword and trade in his black threads for an orange jumpsuit.
Look at the twins. Both Sora and Nike only want power. Sora has made it clear he wants to rule the world while Nike, well, Nike probably just wants power for the sake of having it. However, doesn't flying transcend all of that. No matter how many countries Sora rules over he'll never grab the sky as he is now. And no matter how strong Nike gets he'll never fly. Ironic as hell isn't it. A flightless Nike.
Air Gear transcended repetitious fight scenes, recycled themes, and the characters themselves always tried to prove that they weren't chained to the past. However, we are actually seeing the characters getting tied down by revenge (Lind), duty (Onigiri), ego (Ikki, Kazu). So far I haven't found a chain for Buccha but I'm sure it's there. And I'm fully aware that ego has always been one of Ikki's character traits and again many of us love him for that but it's never been something that hindered him. For example, in previous battles Ikki already knew (lol or thought) he was better than his opponents. He already knew it so he didn't need to prove it. He just wanted to fly and they were in his way. Currently however, I can't help but think that Ikki is only going after the twins because they dissed him and not because there isn't enough room in the sky for the three of them.
I ask that my fellow Storm Riders don't challenge me to a parts war for this but isn't this the same crap that happened in Bleach? Remember how Aizen and his flunkies got into the real world, then there was that dreadful Turn Back the Pendulum, then more fight scenes and the narrative just ate itself alive? The same thing is happening here. They got to the ship, bunch of fight scenes, a long flashback, and more fight scenes are on the horizon. Where is the theme? I'm glad Oh! Great is making money and it doesn't appear that he's sold out like Kubo, but my thing is stop trying to be everything for everyone and JUST BE! That's some of that freedom Air Gear breathed!
And I will take down any hater who thinks I'm trying to shortchange Air Gear. This manga is still one of my favs and I dare anyone to challenge that. And Ikki is still one of the baddest SOBs in the entire mangaverse. If you aren't Jotaro Kujo or Ma Gangryong don't even try to throw hands with him. However, I just feel that something is missing from Air Gear. I don't see the characters wings anymore. That magic trick Lind pulled was cool and all but those wings didn't help him fly they just kept him rooted to the ground in his quest for revenge. I want to see those wings that Ikki saw when he fought Inuzama. I want to see a bird outrun a tank like it did when Ikki defeated Buccha. I want to see those wings that helped Kogarasumaru defeat Behemoth. I want to see those wings one more time.
Am I wrong for that? Your thoughts?
Changing the subject...
I was rocking out with Back-On (I wish) and I began to reflect on the Air Gear universe. Before haters try and test know that I am a huge Air Gear fan and I've been Air Trecking (lol) sense this thing first came to America. Because I'm a loyal fan that gives me certain privileges. I've been with the manga since the beginning and what drew me in apart from the art and Babyface was the theme of Air Gear: freedom. Absolute freedom.
So many manga deal with the same tired BS about friendship, bonds, and all that other stuff (believe it). Yeah those are good but when you've got titles like Naruto and Bleach running around it becomes cliche (believe it). Air Gear wasn't about that. We had the Unbeatable Babyface Minami Itsuki and while it's clear he needed help, he didn't shove the power of friendship down our throats. Why? Air Gear wasn't about that. Air Gear isn't about that. Air Gear was about freedom.
Air Gear is a manga that came along and showed us that we are all in our own cages. Maybe that cage is psychological, maybe it's emotional, maybe it's economical. Whatever it was we were/are all trapped in our cages. Many of us are birds who can't fly. Many have forgotten they even have wings. While other titles brainwashed their readers into believing that their friends are just going to open the door for them, Air Gear kept it as real as a manga could. No one can open the cage but you. No one can break the chain but you. Why? Because a bird can only fly using the power of their own wings and no one else's. And yes I'm fully aware that geese fly by using the lift of other geese when they're in formation.
However, they still need their own wings to do that. Your friends can't flap your wings. Only you can.
Air Gear reminded us that sometimes only we can help ourselves and it showed us that we can all do that. Delinquents, drop-outs, geniuses, average people, everyone has wings and everyone has the power to break out of their cages. That was the theme of Air Gear and Babyface proved that to us everytime he put someome's ass down. True to Trophaeum, Ikki built his victories upon the bones of his enemies and got closer and closer to the sky each time. But somewhere along the way Air Gear lost that focus.
Air Gear used to be my number one manga and now it's barely in my top five. I still like it and I'm not dissing it. Rather, somewhere along the way Air Gear didn't become a priority read. It happened gradually and I was forced to ask myself why. Recent developments in Air Gear have been battle after battle after battle after battle. And that's all well and good but where is the substance? To be honest I like Agito/Lind/Akito whatever, and while it is important for us to get his/their backstory that was really ridiculous. Guy gets like ten chapters and color me prejudice but I would much rather that kind of attention be showered on my main man Ikki. Of course that's just me being finicky.
From a purely objective standpoint, it's good that we finally got some character development for Agito/Akito/Lind. However, these flashbacks added onto the massive amounts of battles we've seen in the last twenty or so chapters have actually chained Air Gear. We're stuck on the ground, we're stuck in these grudge matches, the characters themselves are actually chained to their respective pasts. The characters are actually prisoners. Wasn't Air Gear supposed to be the exact opposite of that?
Didn't Air Gear teach us that it didn't matter if they were mistakes, crimes, defects, short-comings, weakness, no matter what or who tried to stopped us they couldn't. Nothing could chain us down, nothing could bind our wings, nothing could cage us. This message was exemplified through the characters. Now the characters themselves are in chains, cages, prisons. I'll explain.
Early Air Gear Ikki was interested in AT because he wanted to fly as all men wish to do. He wanted freedom. He wanted to feel that type of freedom that only the soul knows but is unable to grasp in the flesh. Ikki wanted, needed, was driven to fly. While he got into fights his ultimate goal in AT was to fly. Current Ikki is just interested in whooping someone's ass. Sure the twins deserve it. Hell, anyone who steps to the Unbeatable Babyface has it coming so I've no problems with Ikki doing what he does best. However, flying has always been primary while fighting was secondary. Ikki only aimed to fly and sometimes fighting was the only way he could fly higher.
Currently however, it seems Ikki's only goal is whooping that ass! And while we all love him for that, that sort of thing shouldn't be his primary objective. Getting tied down by ego, revenge, even duty is all contrary to the freedom that Ikki once sought. Yes I'm aware that those with power have a duty to use that power for the greatest good. However, Air Gear's theme was freedom that transcends all. What happened to that freedom? With these newest developments, I feel that Ikki may as well start carrying around a tacky sword and trade in his black threads for an orange jumpsuit.
Look at the twins. Both Sora and Nike only want power. Sora has made it clear he wants to rule the world while Nike, well, Nike probably just wants power for the sake of having it. However, doesn't flying transcend all of that. No matter how many countries Sora rules over he'll never grab the sky as he is now. And no matter how strong Nike gets he'll never fly. Ironic as hell isn't it. A flightless Nike.
Air Gear transcended repetitious fight scenes, recycled themes, and the characters themselves always tried to prove that they weren't chained to the past. However, we are actually seeing the characters getting tied down by revenge (Lind), duty (Onigiri), ego (Ikki, Kazu). So far I haven't found a chain for Buccha but I'm sure it's there. And I'm fully aware that ego has always been one of Ikki's character traits and again many of us love him for that but it's never been something that hindered him. For example, in previous battles Ikki already knew (lol or thought) he was better than his opponents. He already knew it so he didn't need to prove it. He just wanted to fly and they were in his way. Currently however, I can't help but think that Ikki is only going after the twins because they dissed him and not because there isn't enough room in the sky for the three of them.
I ask that my fellow Storm Riders don't challenge me to a parts war for this but isn't this the same crap that happened in Bleach? Remember how Aizen and his flunkies got into the real world, then there was that dreadful Turn Back the Pendulum, then more fight scenes and the narrative just ate itself alive? The same thing is happening here. They got to the ship, bunch of fight scenes, a long flashback, and more fight scenes are on the horizon. Where is the theme? I'm glad Oh! Great is making money and it doesn't appear that he's sold out like Kubo, but my thing is stop trying to be everything for everyone and JUST BE! That's some of that freedom Air Gear breathed!
And I will take down any hater who thinks I'm trying to shortchange Air Gear. This manga is still one of my favs and I dare anyone to challenge that. And Ikki is still one of the baddest SOBs in the entire mangaverse. If you aren't Jotaro Kujo or Ma Gangryong don't even try to throw hands with him. However, I just feel that something is missing from Air Gear. I don't see the characters wings anymore. That magic trick Lind pulled was cool and all but those wings didn't help him fly they just kept him rooted to the ground in his quest for revenge. I want to see those wings that Ikki saw when he fought Inuzama. I want to see a bird outrun a tank like it did when Ikki defeated Buccha. I want to see those wings that helped Kogarasumaru defeat Behemoth. I want to see those wings one more time.
Am I wrong for that? Your thoughts?
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